TUTORIAL: Clipping vs. Limiting - What To Use When And Why?

We will compare different clippers against a limiter to see how they sound like and when it is better to use a clipper over a limiter. I will explain what the difference between them actually is and in which scenarios you might get a better result with a clipper.

We will push both clippers and the limiter to the max and see how they sound like! Some clippers have a different sound and can be better on specific source materials. While the limiter always tries to have a clean sound, it makes transients soft. On transient heavy material, a clipper really shines, because it still keeps it very punchy and loud, while saving some headroom for your final mastering limiter.

⏩ IMPORTANT POINTS ⏪
- Especially on transient heavy material, clippers often sound better, since they don't soften the transient and some extra distortion doesn't hurt the sound
- Clipping only transients can be pretty transparent without audible distortion
- Not all clippers sound the same, some sound better on different material, so try it out
- On some sounds like bass heavy kicks, clippers do no work really well and a limiter might be the better choice
- Clipping can save you headroom for the final mastering stage and therefore make it easier to get loud and clean tracks

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